In the light of the educational situation presented in the first part
of the current report, and on the basis of the statistical indicators and the challenges
as well as quick changes in education, Education for all in Saudi Arabia seems to have a
better future.

However, the nature of these challenges leads us to say that the established mechanisms
to face them are based upon the evaluation of the efforts made in this field.

The most important challenges that constitute a threat for developments in the future
are the following:

The quantitative development and the capacity of the educational basis:

If we look at the indicators of quantitative expansion and accordingly
to the increase in the number of students, we notice that this requires the expansion and
the growth of the occupancy rate in schools as well as a level of education that realizes
the desirable educational objectives. This problematic requires serious efforts to provide
a good quality of education to all students equally. The annual demographic growth in
Saudi Arabia is considered as a strategic demand for a global development that occurred in
terms of socio-economic needs, changes in the infrastructure, introduction of new
technologies, the growth of the public and the private sector; this is why national skills
are needed. Since then, the role of the educational institutions in Saudi Arabia was and
is still a challenge that requires a review and a deep planning for growth which would
allow the educational institution to expand the educational basis, by providing a well
developed education that meets the needs of individuals and the society in accordance with
the objectives of global development. For this reason, intensive plans have been set up to
realize the following:

-A balance between the growth rates of educated people and the educational basis as
well as its capacities through the establishment of a school map that takes into account
horizontal expansion and demographic growth between cities and villages, while giving
education opportunities for all.

-To diversify education patterns especially in secondary education to reduce costs
waste resulting from the increase in repetition and drop-outs rates which require to
rebuild the capacities and educate students.

-To diversify the funding sources of education so as to meet the expected increase of
educational costs and thus to guarantee a high quality of education and training.

-To prepare graduates according to the needs of the labor market.

-To ensure a good quality of education.

-To provide all requirements in terms of teachers, school buildings, equipment.

Authenticity and contemporaneity:

The educational system in Saudi Arabia is based upon the general trends
of the educational policy that aims at preparing graduates who have a national Arab and
Islamic identity open to other cultures and interacting with them with impartiality. The
flow of cultures that invade the world due to the spread of telecommunications and
accordingly to the expansion of cultural exchange throughout the world requires a
quantitative change to reach the following:

-To allow various and diversified practices and skills as well as experiences within
the classrooms.

-To consecrate the strategy of education for education, and to establish curricula in
this regard.

-To create a balance between authenticity and contemporaneity, to exploit the flow of
cultures, and to enhance knowledge, values and trends according to Islamic educational and
intellectual basis.

-To transform the school which is a social institution, into an institution that
interacts with the society with openness in order to meet the needs of individuals on the
one hand, and to satisfy the social and economic needs of the society on the other hand.

To create a balance between centralization and decentralization to ensure the
consolidation of general intellectual and educational frameworks, and to give autonomy to
schools for more creativity and innovation.

Technology: between targeting and exploitation

The technological qualitative changes during the last quarter of the current century
caused a quantum leap in the various fields and sectors. Thus, we cannot expect what would
happen in the future when the technology will be used in order to develop the technology
itself, since the changes will be faster than we might imagine. During the next decade,
there will be a big boom in more complicated technologies, since the computer, the
internet and satellites introduced new concepts that transformed figures, information and
images into a wholly integrated information system that made human resolutions deeper, and
more accurate and mature.

This is why we are going to witness a great change to which the educational
institutions should prepare themselves and therefore to move towards two important trends:

To forecast the volume of changes and their possible effects on the educational system,
the administration, the educational process, and training. To forecast technical
potentials in order to develop the educational and training process, and to exploit them
in a feasible economic manner that realizes optimum revenues with less losses that might
result from the bad evaluation of training and educational needs, and of the choice of
techniques and equipment.

To target the technology and its applications through education curricula, to choose the
best of them in order to establish the technical content of programs in the light of the
labor market needs, the requirements of the students for their capacity building in
technology and its applications. This requires a strategy that allows the educational
institutions to modernize the content of their technical programs and curricula on regular
basis to meet the needs of the labor market.

In order to face the challenges, a plan with clear objectives and policies to be
implemented in the next period has been set up, and it will be translated into ambitious
scientific programs that will be a part of a long-term strategy.

Saudi Arabia committed itself to apply a five-year plan for 2000-2005, which
encompasses objectives and policies that are supposed to realize a quantum leap in
providing education for all.

Education for all in the seventh five-year draft plan (2000-2005):

The seventh five-year plan focused on the student and his/her needs
since he/she is the major player in the educational process, in the light of the general
objective "Education for All". The Plan has set up a series of objectives for
every aspect related to the educational process. The objectives are the following:

General objectives:

To offer general education opportunities for every citizen in the school year age according
to his/her capacities, potentials, and desires and to provide all related services.

To pursue the modernization of the general education system to react better to
development requirements and to the needs of the society.

To pursue the improvement of educational and organizational status of the educational
process.

To meet the needs of the Ministry in terms of education services and facilities and to
use the capitals of the private sector in financing some of these projects.

To give more interest to the development of national human resources, to employ
them and to overcome the obstacles that face them.

To pursue the policy of replacing the foreign labor force by the Saudi one.

To give more interest to adult education, to literacy and to develop the relevant
programs.

To activate the cultural process and the scientific activity, and to give special
interest to archeology to make it go along with the current progress in Saudi Arabia.

Policies:

To ensure educational capacity to all Saudis children in primaryschool
age and to increase the potential of the complementary education to have a capacity to
all Saudi graduates of the primary education.

To provide secondary education capacity, by the end of the first decade of the next
century, to 70% and then 90% of the complementary level graduates who wish to make
secondary studies.

To increase the potential of complementary and secondary evening schools.

To provide special care for gifted and brilliant students.

To improve special education services for people with disabilities like the
blinds and others.

To early detect disabilities and to raise awareness to prevent them.

To disseminate special library services like the speaking library and to disseminate
audio books according to the Ministrys policy.

To create special education centers (for people with disabilities) for pre-school
children.

To seek to reduce repetition and drop-out rates in all educational levels through
increasing education efficiency.

2-1 To seek to create a center for educational development in order to increase theefficiency of educational curricula programs. To prepare educational and
psychological studies and research that would cover the components of the educational
process and the school environment (students, teachers, books, and teaching materials) and
to apply their results in accordance with the Saudi situation.

2-2 To modernize and develop general education programs and plans in the light
of the Islamic Charia in accordance with the changing needs of the society and of
development objectives.

2-3 To evaluate the efficiency of general education to get informed about the most
successful methods that affect the educational system in order to increase the level of
the educational performance.

2-4 To improve school books in terms of form, content and editing.

2-5 To improve the status of school libraries and to give them the interest they
deserve.

2-6 To introduce useful and modern educational means in terms of educational technology
and to adapt them so as to serve educational objectives.

2-7 To give special interest to various teaching materials, and to seek to intensify
their use.

2-8 To seek to introduce the systems of modern and developed techniques like computers
in all fields of action.

2-9 To complete the studies under process about the established system of students
assessment and to correct the shortcomings according to modern educational means.

2-10 To develop the programs of The Holy Koran inculcation through modernizing the
teaching means and improving the teachers efficiency.

2-11 To establish programs to prepare and train special education teachers (people with
disabilities) in teachers institutes.

2-12 To extend the programs for the development of students capacities and skills
through scientific, cultural, social, artistic and scout activities.

2-13 To rehabilitate the centers of school activities for the spiritual, physical,
social and mental fulfillment of students.

2-14 To develop the special information system of students, to guide them and follow up
on them and assess their performance.

2-15 To extend preventive and treatment health services in schools.

2-16 To develop students registration measures.

2-17 To provide assisting services for students like transports to school, subsidies,
and rations according to special norms.

3-1 To modernize and organize the administrative system in the Ministry as well as
educational administrations in regions and districts as well as in other educational
institutions, and to increase their efficiency through continuous in service training.

3-3 To improve the efficiency of headmasters technically and administratively.

3-4 To satisfy the needs for Saudi administrative and educational supervisors.

3-5 To satisfy all the needs of the educational sector in terms of equipment, tools,
office furniture, school books, and teaching materials.

4-1 To provide school buildings to all educational levels.

4-2 To modernize school buildings design to provide the appropriate school environment
(workshops, laboratories, play fields ) as well as security conditions and
ventilation.

4-3 To increase the number of buildings for health units in schools, and to build more
students dorms in educational areas.

4-4 To maintain educational facilities and to watch after their cleanliness.

5-1 To increase the level of teachers in the primary education cycle, and to consider
the baccalaureate certificate as a precondition for teaching in this cycle.

5-2 To build the capacity of university teachers in order to acquire teaching skills.

6-1 To develop the training programs of educational advisors as well as national
administrative inspectors.

6-2 To seek to realize auto-sufficiency in terms of national teachers in all
educational cycles.

6-3 To employ Saudi citizens in the administrative board.

7-1 To focus on the role of the Higher Commission for literacy and adults education as
well as that of subcommittees in planning for such education.

7-2 To coordinate the efforts with official parties regarding the programs of adults
education and literacy.

7-3 To increase the capacity of adults education and literacy schools.

7-4 To support the Central Board for adults education and literacy and provide it with
high skilled human resources.

7-5 To organize campaigns in remote and rural areas in order to raise awareness amongst
citizens, in collaboration with other official parties.

7-6 To conduct field studies and research, and to assess the plans and programs of
adults education and literacy in order to improve them.

7-7 To organize training sessions in order to increase the competence of people working
in the field of adults education and literacy.

7-8 To provide incentives to encourage illiterates to study.

7-9 To give special attention to regional and international manifestations in order to
use them for awareness raising and warning against illiteracy threats, and to cooperate
with other official parties.

8-1 To encourage and develop the intellectual action through sponsoring sciences, arts
and literature.

8-2 To raise the cultural awareness amongst youngsters and to develop their literature
trends and competence.

8-3 To modernize and equip public libraries and cultural centers, to improve their
status and to increase their performance.

8-4 To improve services provided by public and school libraries through ensuring
technical skills, books and useful references.

8-5 To activate action in cultural fields in development and social services centers
through preparing and training cultural specialists and to organize seminars and
conferences etc.

9-1 To urge students to preserve public utilities and to protect the environment.

Main future programs

In order to achieve these objectives and policies, many programs were
set especially in the following fields:

Curricula:

The global project for curricula development: it aims at achieving a quantum leap in
education by undertaking a qualitative and radical modification of the curricula in order
to meet the pace of the local and international developments in the interest of the
individual and the society. It also aims at providing an efficient means for achieving the
goals of the educational policy in an integrated efficient way that ensures more developed
and efficient curricula. Some of the stages of this project have already been accomplished
and the remaining stages have to be implemented (establishing, experiencing, and
generalizing).

Developing educational plans for all stages in order to meet the changes and
developments as well as the market requirements and the individuals and social needs. The
Higher Committee for curricula and programs has adopted a developed plan for secondary
education that was characterized by new courses in the secondary stage: professional
culture, computer applications and information. This methodology will be applied and
developed in the intermediate stage.

Developing learning strategies: by concentrating on self-learning, continuous learning
and lifelong education as well as the needed skills and the desired behaviour through:

targeted education

teaching students how to learn so that they can teach themselves within the concepts of
continuous education

in-service learning in order to assert acquired skills and behaviour

education for preparing the learner for life to be a positive productive member
achieving his or her own goals as well as those of the society

Implementing the concept of basic education because the primary and intermediate stages
are one school stage.

Implementing the concept of compulsory education in order to end dropout and illiteracy.

The concepts of out-of-school education by using the factories, the museums, the parks,
the environment study in order to develop the pupils knowledge and guide their
behaviour.

Applying and developing the concepts of vocational education in all stages.

Developing the methodologies of sports education by rebuilding the mobile,
psychological, health and sports skills.

Developing methodologies of technical education as well as the students general
taste and building the coordination and colour matching skills by developing the technical
concepts of the students.

Developing the national education course in order to teach behaviour and practices that
create loyalty to God and religion then to the king and the nation that they should be
proud of, ready to defend and preserve.

Concentrating on teaching and developing thinking in order to help develop scientific
organized thinking.

Teaching necessary social skills to achieve social communication and prepare students
for serving their society.

Educational research:

Following the dropout and repetition studies aiming at setting strategies for stopping
this phenomenon.

Implementing some educational researches including:

increasing the teachers scientific and educational efficiency and promoting his or
her loyalty to teaching;

promoting the educational role of schools in developing the good citizens
personality and developing society;

the school environment that should suitable by better architecture and compatibility
with the stage needs, the curriculum and the environment;

developing means for educational supervision and activating its role in the teaching and
educational process;

developing the talented students detection programs.

Developing studies on educational indicators and statistical analysis and investing them
in the educational decision-making.

Measurement and assessment;

Training teachers theoretically and practically on measurement and assessment;

Setting teachers measurement and assessment guides;

Finding standards and tests for the readiness, tendencies, orientations, capacities and
intelligence in order to select students with special capacities (brilliant or
slow-learning);

Stressing the personal tests in order to know the weaknesses and learning difficulties;

Setting national tests at the end of each stage in order to determine the level reached
by the students.

Educational techniques:

Expanding the computer project in education with the collaboration of the private sector
thanks to the experience it had in 1419-1420h. (1999-2000).

Starting to experience the learning sources center project in some schools in Ryad in
1420-1421h. (2000-2001) and assessing and expanding it afterwards.

Developing the design of schoolbooks by using the multimedia.

Developing and producing modern teaching methods that contribute to achieving the
practical and teaching goals.

Developing the teachers guides on teaching means especially the teacher in primary
first grade stage.

Computer efficiency in education:

Efforts will continue for spreading PC use in educational and
administrative fields. Many systems will be completed to meet the needs of educational
institutions and schools. The Ministry of Education has adopted a national plan for
spreading PCs in schools aiming at providing all schools in Saoudi Arabia and in all stage
with PCs because it is considered as an essential tool, a teaching means and an
information network.

The computer courses experience started with some companies in primary
and intermediate stages for the academic year 1419-1420h. (1999-2000) in order to teach
students important skills for their daily life where computers are no longer secondary
tools.

The experience is being assessed now and a precise description of all
its considerations is being prepared in order to expand the use of computers with the
collaboration of the private sector.

The girls education sector also has programs for teaching
computer use to girls and spreading its use.

The educational sources center project experience was evaluated and
expanded in some schools. The idea of this project is in harmony with the modern
educational objectives that call for avoiding teaching and follow the concept of
developing the students capacity to learn by themselves and their innovative,
research and detection skills because they constitute the tools that will be needed to
face life with all its knowledge explosion and technology revolution.

Future projects for educational planning:

Implementing the global training plan in educational planning with the multiple
educational programs that aim at training educational leaderships at the Ministry and the
educational institutions.

Continuing to spread the culture of educational planning through a series of educational
planning publications and conferences and seminars.

Establishing planning offices in all ministry sectors and the educational institutions.

Developing the methods and techniques of setting global educational plan

Expansion projects for Koran learning schools:

Development efforts are still being undertaken in Koran learning
schools just like in the public schools with the same way in setting plans, curricula and
choosing teachers. They have the same curricula but with more concentration on learning
the Koran. The seventh five-year plan includes a project aiming at increasing the number
of Koran learning schools, their classes and students in all primary, intermediate and
secondary stages.

Project of pilot schools program:

The pilot schools program aims at constituting a classified school
model ruled by high quality standards for learning and teaching operations seeking
knowledge, know-how, expertise in a balance that sews their relation like changes that
determine the teaching, learning and educational content.

This objective requires concentration on the development of three
aspects of the teaching operation: the educational administration for a better efficiency;
the learning strategies for meeting the educational developments and changes; in addition
to the development of the students evaluation in order to be able to judge the
results of the teaching operation on the students behaviour in a wider way.

Education for life:

High education is very important in achieving progress in order to
get acquainted to the milieu and the world developments at all levels. For this reason and
because of the results of the numerous seminars on education as well as the
recommendations of the scientific studies undertaken by specialized researchers, we feel
the need to training students for life by teaching them the knowledge, skills and
expertise that help them meet life requirements and participate efficiently in all its
fields. The curricula development efforts stress the importance to take into consideration
the concept of education for life in all stages.

Development of teachers capacities and improvement of their qualifications

:

Intensified efforts are being undertaken in this regard to develop
training programs for teachers as well as information designing in the most contemporary
way in order to improve the quality of training an rendering it more convenient to the
trainees needs. Some education employees follow training programs and courses in
order to benefit from the experience of other countries and improve the level of education
and skills. Then the programs are sought to be increased and implemented in a continuous
way in order to train as many teachers as possible and concentrate on the trainers
training programs in order to improve the trainers efficiency and training output.

Moreover, teachers who do not have a baccalaureate degree will still be
submitted to training in order to improve their qualifications and those who have no
educational training will be also taken care of.

Solving the repetition and dropout problem and improving education efficiency:

Studies have shown that the loss in education resulting from
repetition and dropout is one of the most important problems that affect the education
efficiency. Therefore, the educational institutions in Saoudi Arabia study the causes of
dropout and the means to stop it because it constitutes a big loss for the educational
budget allocations that could be invested in educating new children. In this regard, it
was decided to start a six-year research project in order to know the efficiency of the
real cohort through a follow-up study of two pupil cohorts. These project aims at
discovering the reality of education efficiency and determining the factors and reasons
leading to repetition or drop-out and that in their turn affect the educational system
efficiency.

The educational efficiency is expected to improve in the next few years
as soon as the new students assessment regulations are implemented.

Integration of children with special needs in special education schools

:

Although the experience of integrating children with special needs in
public education schools is very short, the special education programs  that are
applied in public education schools  are far better than those applied in special
education institutes and programs. The number of children receiving special education
services in the public education schools is superior to that of the children getting the
same services in special education institutes and programs. Developing programs are now
being prepared to allow the school environment to extend the integration operations.

Extending talented students detection programs:

The Ministry of Education set a new program for detecting talented
students and taking care of them. It covers 2% of the public education students and will
be generalized by 5% per year. Activities of the King Abdel Azeez and His Men Foundation
for talented students will be developed; this foundation was opened by His Highness the
Vice-Prime Minister and Head of the National Guards at the hundred anniversary of the
establishment of the Kingdom. The Foundation will intensify its programs in the field of
detecting and taking care of talented students.

Literacy and adult education:

Adult education and literacy programs have developed. Illiteracy
has started to disappear with the spreading of primary education, which led to illiteracy
withdrawal to around 10.5% - for males  in 1998. The year 1446h. (2025) is expected
to be the year of the end of illiteracy in Saoudi Arabia thanks to the efforts that are
expected to be intensified in basic education as well as in literacy and adult education
programs in their contemporary global dimension.

Global assessment of schools

:

Global school assessment projects are being prepared. They are
considered as strong support to the success of the actions that the school managers are in
charge of. In fact, through this kind of project, every school manager will have a report
on every school at his or her disposal, clarifying  with scientific proofs 
the positive achievements of the concerned school and the ways to consolidate them as well
as the negative steps and the ways to deal with them in order to ensure a better
atmosphere for education, achieve its objectives and increase its efficiency.

Extending the cooperative school transportation program:

This can be done by calling national private companies to participate
in the cooperative school transportation program in order to get a wider scope of coverage
for the program in a way that facilitates means for students and their parents to seek
education without difficulties and obstacles.

Evaluation and follow-up of the implementation of the new students assessment
regulations:

For these regulations to be implemented, some materials and
instruments should be provided and controllers and teachers should be trained. Many
programs have been established to promote implementation of the regulations, to review
them and operate the necessary developments to them. Teachers, supervisors and school
managers will be trained on the new means and tools in the field of students
assessment. A plan will be set to assess the new regulations so that the development will
be based on practical facts and well studied steps in the future.

Developing projects for school premises:

The State is intensifying its efforts in order to provide new
premises as a continuation of the annual renewal process for schools and to replace the
rented buildings for schools that are not meeting good educational requirements. The
Ministry of Education has prepared a national plan for school buildings that covered 200
schools of different sizes and in all educational regions in accordance with contracts
signed with one of the national companies. The General Presidency for Girls
Education has set as a priority the development of the school building and the expansion
of school premises that are equipped with educational requirements.

Within this plan, educational projects were financed and built on land
owned by the educational institutions by the participation of non-governmental sector
represented by the businessmen and the investors. The credit will be reimbursed on a
long-term basis and new designs will be adopted to reduce the production cost and meet
educational needs in accordance with the modern and developed educational standards and
environmental criteria.

Education credit project for non governmental schools:

The Saoudi Association for educational and psychological sciences
is studying regulations and standards for education credit for non governmental schools
that help the education people assess the performance of the non governmental education
institutions and provide information that help these institutions grow and survive.

One of the most important consequences of this project is the division
of non-governmental schools into categories in accordance with some specific standards,
which pushes them to improve their performance to the best in order to increase the
education efficiency in this type of school.

Development of the private sector participation in financing education

:

In the last few years, the State adopted a new policy by addressing the
private sector in order to make it participate more efficiently in financing the
educational programs and projects. Schools and teaching compounds were built and missions
and high studies were financed thanks to the efforts and participation of the private
sector.

In this regard, the Ministry of Education established a new directorate
for education economics and aiming at promoting the role of the society in supporting
education and finding additional funding sources for it as well as achieving deeper and
wider participation in the following orientations:

more encouragement and support to the non governmental education:

with the mechanism that prevents education from becoming a commercial
product ruled by the logic of profit and loss. The educational institution could thus
extend the basis of education and offer a developed education meting the individuals
and society needs in accordance with the global development objectives and standards. The
private sector (non governmental education) being committed to investing national
elements;

b- the private sector would adopt more extracurricular activities
programs. This is a role that has mostly a voluntary individual aspect, the activity
supervisors residing inside the educational institution. A well-studied plan should be now
adopted in order to promote these activities during the academic year or holidays
depending on the agenda prepared by the specialists at the department for Students
Affairs.

The private sector can monitor the management and functioning of the
playgrounds attached to schools and transform them into activities centers for youngsters
to enter them in the evening for a symbolic fee.

c- the project "adopting a school" will be implemented; a
committee or an individual adopts a school and is in charge of the spending on its
development projects and of providing the necessary consultation services.

d- the "educational experiencing" model should be
implemented; the private sector finances the education researches and studies. This model
is a guarantee for linking the educational research to true educational issues.

e- the school administrations should be given to specialized companies
with a model that allows the State to own assets and contribute to the expenses.

Educational satellite channel:

The Ministry of Education is seeking to achieve the project of
"educational satellite channel" and cooperates with one of the satellite
channels that started broadcasting educational programs to get the educational materials
that are needed and useful for our students and for the society as a whole.

Special programs in students activities:

Special programs in students education were prepared namely
at the Scientific Activity Council that aims at early detecting tastes and skills and
training students on thinking, acquiring skills and reaching the sources of information
and knowledge by themselves.

Projects for developing students services:

The State is developing students services covering:

rewards and assistance to students: in order to assist students who need support to
complete their work;

food for internal students in the special education institutes as well as the students
of the institutes in which they receive morning meals only such as the students of the
faculty of physical education attached to the Ministry;

transportation for students who need it because they live far from schools;

primary health care services and some paramedical services such as x-rays,
ophthalmology, dentistry, O.R.L. clinics, physiotherapy clinics, medical laboratories,
prevention medicine clinics for new entrants vaccination as well as early detection
of handicaps;

guidance and consultancy services offered to new entrants in the first week every year
in order to help them get acquainted to the school atmosphere and all year long for those
who need them such as students with learning difficulties or behavioural problems.

Projects of educational training development through the teachers faculties:

This project aims at promoting the role of the teachers
faculties in conceiving, implementing and assessing the educational training programs that
target teachers, school managers, education supervisors, heads of departments and
educational units. The teachers who do not have baccalaureate degree will obtain it and
teaching will be better and more efficient.

Special categories:

It is a project for providing copies of the Koran and Islamic books
in Braille characters for blind people as well as speaking and recorded books for the hard
of hearing.

Childhood care projects:

There are some projects being completed in the field of childhood care:

studying the project of the Arab declaration for child rights and the general
framework for the guiding action plan for the first decade of the twenty-first century
(2000-2010) that is prepared by the League of the Arab States;

setting a general strategy for child care in Saoudi Arabia that will constitute a
reference to all relevant parties with the participation of the non governmental sectors;

establishing a united guide clarifying the systems and arrangements for childhood care;

establishing an information center on childhood care with an efficient mechanism for
determining information and the means to use it;

setting criteria for children acquiring the care they need each in his or her own
health, social, cultural and political situation;

encouraging writers and authors to write useful childrens stories;

raising awareness about the importance of childhood to the families and bodies concerned
by childhood care;

extending kindergarten programs under the supervision of the General Presidency for
Girls Education and other relevant authorities.

Education for spare time:

In the light of the technical developments in all fields and the
expected resulting increase in spare time, the Saoudi educational institutions are trying
to provide students with special skills for spare time in their own interest and in the
interest of their nation. These programs include students activities and different
useful means added to the curricula.

Project of building an educational planning instrument:

As a step to mobilize efforts and improve the available resources
for education and as a guarantee for better output for the educational system, some
studies are being undertaken in order to find a structural mechanism for the planning
instrument that would be in charge of all educational planning issues for all stages and
types.

Adopting the basic education concept:

This concept considers the primary stage (six years) and the
intermediate stage (three years) one school stage that allows learners to be prepared for
enrolling in the labour market or continue their education, through its multiple forms and
depending on their capacities.

Compulsory basic education:

Saoudi Arabia is seeking to provide education for all and has
consecrated growing expenditures for this objective through 283 billion ryals in budget
allocations during the two development plans implemented during the time this report was
prepared (1990  2000). It concentrated its efforts on spreading education and admits
all those who reach the regular age for primary education and even reduced the admittance
age to 5 years and nine months. It also tried to increase educational efficiency and
established specialized bodies represented by the Educational Development Center.

The EFA process has witnessed true implementation; the State having
provided a place for every male or female student in its schools for the Saoudis as well
as for the people residing on its territories.

The commitment operation is that of the State first to provide job
opportunities for all. The five-year development plans were considered as an obligation to
all those who attain school-age. The coming years will witness the achievement of
compulsory education through special regulations.

Projects and programs for special education:

establishing special education centers for diagnosis and assessment and equipping them
with the latest technologies;

establishing centers for special education teaching means and equipping them with the
latest technologies;

expanding the establishment of centers for speech therapy and equipping them with the
latest technologies;

putting the computer technology at the service of the blind people and for typing in
Braille characters;

putting the latest technology at the service of special education Braille printing
houses;

channeling psychological standards for diagnosis purposes including intelligence,
behavioural acquaintance and development and academic difficulties;

using internet to know about all that is new in the field of special and communication
with specialized institutions and organizations;

linking the General Secretariat for Special Education to the directorates at the
Ministry of Education, the educational institutions, the institutes and the programs by
internet in order to facilitate and quicken the communication operation;

working on preparing and developing the regulations at the special education institutes
and programs;

working on developing plans and curricula.

Conclusion

This report gave a wide overview of the efforts undertaken by Saoudi
Arabia in the field of Education For All by developing policies and plans providing
education opportunities for all social categories and improving its efficiency. It exposed
the achievements accomplished with Gods help and thanks to the continuous and
generous support by the Government of Saoudi Arabia to the educational sector. The report
also contains the main statistical indicators that evaluate the Government efforts in EFA.
It finally mentioned the perspectives for EFA as well as the plans aiming at spreading it
to all social categories.